Score One for the New Guy
by Kyrian
Summary: Shane's the new kid in town, but when his truck runs out of gas and he goes looking for help, he ends up finding out more than he ever wanted to know. Now he's got to convince everyone he's not a Yark. Oh, wait, it's Yeerk. Will contain slash.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, okay. I admit, I always said that EVEN THOUGH I wrote OC fiction, I would never post it. Well, I lied, okay? Besides, it seems like the Animorphs community likes them well enough, right? So just call me a hypocrite and we'll get on with it.

Disclaimer: The only reason I can write and post this is because K.A. Applegate is a nice person and is willing to share. I make no money from this. I own the storyline and I own Shane. That's it.

Shane woke gradually, in no hurry to get up and around. He noticed with unconcerned interest that the low ceiling above him, which should have been the not-quite-even purple of his room, was a pale Easter-egg yellow. His next focus was the flat black sleeping bag he was tangled in, so different from the blue and green-striped sheets. His headrest was his worn brown-leather jacket, not the off-white pillowcase with a really bad coffee stain on the side.

Not his room. Not his bed. And above all, not his aunt yelling up the stairs for him to start cleaning the kitchen. No aunt at all, in fact. And no stairs either.

Shane thought about this lazily, staring up at the ceiling. There was a water stain in the corner, and someone had managed to get green paint on the light. What had happened?

Oh yeah. The move.

He wasn't in Kansas anymore.

As he sat up, a few boxes scattered around the corners of the room presented themselves. He could see out of the doorway a little, old, scratched up table settled into a corner. One of the chairs around it held his black backpack, the indestructible canvas sack he'd had since the first day of kindergarten.

He got up slowly and wondered if he had remembered to stick a spare set of clothes in it. Shane reflected on it, and decided it was a doubtful possibility. So, either he stayed home in his blue and red checkered boxers (on a Saturday, mind you), or he actually attempted unpacking at least long enough to find a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that didn't smell noticeably.

But, before any of that took place, breakfast.

A few grocery bags and the little fridge held the bounty of food he had collected at the gas station last night: bread, eggs, jelly, turkey, mayo, vegetable oil, a box of brownie mix. A true feast.

He didn't have a toaster yet, but good ol' Auntie Posey had a spare set of saucepans and various other kitchen utensils that she handed over grudgingly, so he turned up the stove and set a pan on it, cracking an egg onto a plastic plate.

He scrambled it with one hand as he watched the empty neighborhood outside his window yawn and stretch.

The place he had was a little box sitting squat in the middle of a family neighborhood, just out of town. In fact, the only thing he saw between here and town was an old construction site that looked as if it hadn't been touched in ages.

The teen scratched his head absently and poured the liquid egg into the sizzling pan, scraping it around a little before leaving it to fry. Outside his window, a hawk had landed in his one lonely tree and was looking around hungrily. He watched it for a while, than realized his egg was close to burning and hurriedly scooped it out with his fingers.

It went straight onto a couple slices of bread drowned in generic brand blackberry jelly. Yum. He ate it slowly as he opened boxes, not really caring as the jelly dripped onto the cardboard.

Eventually, one box yielded clothes, and he pulled out a t-shirt and pair of ripped, faded, worn jeans.

"I don't remember this." He said through a mouthful of egg, examining the shirt.

It was bright red, with a smiley-faced flower on the front. The text under it red 'Building a kindergarten.'

"Oh, geez. I didn't even know I still had this. I thought Gracie ate it." He muttered. It was his kindergarten choir shirt, second year.

He pulled it and the jeans on, marveling at the fact it still fit. He was a pudgy six-year old, so though it was tight, the fabric was soft and fit well.

Now fed and fully-clothed, his debate was what he wanted to do today. He could unpack, and actually do some work. Or he could walk around the neighborhood and scare little kids. Or he could go find his school so he wasn't driving around trying to find a bus to follow two minutes before the bell rang.

That last one sounded like a good idea.

"Settled then. Time to check out the town." He said to himself, heading for the door. The little table next to it held a pin-striped hat and a set of keys. He grabbed both, slamming the door behind him.

The pickup truck, his lone means of transportation, was a pale blue colour, accented by a hood that was lime green. The front bumper had learned the wonders of camouflage duct tape, and the seats were filled with more gum wrappers than stuffing, but it ran well, and even more, it had character. Lots of it.

The only problem was that the gas gauge was broken, so he was forever on the verge of running out of gas without knowing it. He had met his last girlfriend that way; stranded on the side of the road, she picked him up and gave him a ride to the nearest gas station. It was love. Well, at least, he had thought it was. She hadn't after meeting John.

But that was a different story.

Shane pulled himself into the cab and started the truck. The radio turned itself on, and some twangy country song blared from the speaker. It was the most decent station he'd been able to find. He hadn't minded until the Dixie Chicks special started.

In the tree, the hawk was still sitting, watching him with interest.

"What's up, bird? Scouting out the local rat population?" he asked it. It ruffled its feathers and stared at him.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. You're welcome to any four legged creatures you see anyway." He added, pulling his door shut.

But the hawk wasn't listening anymore. It was staring at the neighbor's bush with single-minded intensity. Shane shrugged and pulled out of his driveway.

He passed a few people on the side of the road, walking or jogging. They all waved, and he waved back, feeling a little self-conscious. No one back in the city was friendly to a stranger; why waste the energy? But he couldn't help but return the gesture; they all seemed so happy, and it was kind of infectious.

He noted as he drove a McDonald's to his left; fast food joints were always handy. A little ways down the road was a convenience store.

He turned off onto another road and passed an elementary school. Another turn found him the high school next to the junior high.

"Food, check. Gas, check. Place of higher education, check." He said aloud as he made an illegal U-turn and went back the way he came.

A teen that looked about Shane's age was standing on the side of the road, waving cheerily to anyone who passed. She had an armful of fliers, and a sign stuck in the ground next to her read 'The Sharing: Learn More!"

He slowed down and stopped alongside of her, leaning out the window. She grinned and tossed her blonde hair over one shoulder, looking relieved.

"_Finally." _She sighed. "No one's stopped all day."

He smiled and tipped his hat to her.

"Glad to be of service. So what's that you're handing out?" he asked, giving her a wink. She passed him a flier awkwardly, nodding to the sign.

"I'm part of a club known as The Sharing, and we're on the hunt to recruit more members," she explained as he studied the flier.

"It's open every day after school until eight, and on Saturdays from six to midnight. The aim of the club is to familiarize the members with each other and build a stronger community. Basically, you hang out and talk to each other, shoot some pool, listen to music, that kind of stuff. They have parties pretty often too. Best of all, it's free of charge, so you can come as often or as little as you like. What do you think?" she asked him hopefully. He looked up at her.

"Will you be there?" She giggled, covering her mouth with one hand.

"Oh, I'm there all the time. I'll even be there this Monday, if you want to swing by and run a trial course."

"Great. It's a date." She backed up and he drove off slowly, giving her a flirty wave.

Score one for the new guy.

Ze other A/N: So, what do ya'll think? I know it was a little slow; it tends to throw a lot of people off a story, so I'll post the next chapter today too. Should be a little more actionous. Oh, and for the record: yes, this story will eventually contain some slash. What exactly the slash will be, I'm not sure. Right now, I'm leaning towards one pairing, but we'll get a little farther into the story and then I'll ask you what you think, eh?

Questions, comments, critiques? Feel free to click that button down there and tell me what's up.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Next chapter up. This part should be a little more exciting to you guys, hopefully, and maybe you'll get more into it. By the way, I've hear the carrot symbols don't work here. I'll post with them, but if they don't, thought-speak will be… parentheses. Kay?

EDIT: Nope, they don't work. (Parentheses it is.)

The other EDIT: Okay, my wonderful reviewers have seen fit to inform me that poor Shane's gas has ran out of gas. I have helped him out, and now his gas has been upgraded to a truck. w00t for Shane. However, it is still out of gas. Also, other various things have been fixed. I was unawares as to whether Cassie had some sort of metal pole barn type object or an actual honest-to-gods wooden barn, sorry 'bout that ): Also, not trying to be rude to anyone or make fun of you, but… does everyone here know grammar is spelled with an 'a'? I'm honestly not trying to be rude, promise :D

Disclaimer: I no own. Illegal? Me no speaka English.

"Oh, man. This is so not cool. Come on, now!" Shane muttered to himself, turning the key to his truck. It rumbled, but didn't start. Shane slammed the dashboard and sunk into his seat. There was no way he was out of gas. And he didn't even know where he was.

He had followed this road, thinking it led somewhere, and now he was sitting in the middle of nowhere with no gas. And better yet, the road had been deserted for the past ten miles.

He hadn't passed any gas station in walking distance, but…

Hadn't there been a house he'd seen through the woods not too far back?

He pulled his keys out of the ignition and slid out, locking the truck. Operation Find-a-Ride began now. He sighed and took off into the forest, his shoes making a soft crunching noise in the dry leaves.

The forest was dim and silent. The trees were taller than where he was from, and they blocked most of the sunlight. But the floor was blessedly free of bushes and undergrowth, a miracle for his sneaker-clad feet.

He walked in silence for a while, looking around for wildlife. He was a city boy by birth, but the sheer amount of life in the forest was truly amazing. Ahead of him, the trees appeared to thin out, and he stumbled out into a small field.

He stopped cold, spotting a moving blob across the field. Something across the open space was moving slowly. From here, it looked almost like a deer, but it was blue and seemed off somehow. He thought about trying to get closer, but whatever it was, it would immediately see him and shoot off. Why were his glasses at home? Damn him and his vanity. And thriftiness.

Oh, wait a second now.

Shane's hand traveled down to his waist, and slowly, he opened the little pouch at his side, pulling out a camera. It had been his mother's, before; she loved to sit at cafés and parks and take pictures of people, so its one redeeming feature was an incredibly long zoom. All the better to see what didn't want to be seen. He turned in on silently and held it to eye level, using the zoom to pick out the creature.

Whatever it was, it wasn't local.

It was indeed a bluish colour, and he could see how, from a distance it could pass as a deer. It's bottom half was the exact shape and form of one, with small, delicate legs that ended in small, delicate hooves. But, where its head was, the torso of a man extended up, complete with arms and a human head. He couldn't make out the details, but the centaur… thing had two blue sticks sticking out of its head.

A long tail extended from its hind end, where most tails tend to start. It was long and sleek, curved in a neat crescent over the centaur's back. At that moment, Shane was relieved he hadn't moved any closer, because the tail ended in a wicked curved piece of something that looked like it could deal a pretty nasty paper cut.

But, even against his own better judgment and the possible threat to his life and limb, he couldn't leave and not get a picture of this.

The teen leveled the camera and, with one last hesitant look at the creature, hit the photo button.

What he hadn't counted on was the flash being on.

The centaur looked in his direction sharply, and he froze in place like a deer caught in the headlights. With most animals, if you didn't move, you were okay. They saw by movement.

Not this one.

It turned and galloped towards him, that tail suddenly quite alert and looking like butcher's knife in the hand of your crazy ex.

Shane didn't wait. He turned on his heel and ran.

Even though the forest floor was relatively clear, the centaur was gaining on him astoundingly quickly. There was no way he could outrun it, unless it somehow managed to run into a tree.

He stopped and grabbed wildly at a dead branch lying on the ground. With more bravado than he felt, he turned and held the stick in front of him like a sword, still clutching the camera in one hand.

"You better not mess with me!" he yelled shrilly at the creature, swinging the stick and trying desperately to look like he was someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

_Flash._ His stick was gone.

_Flash. _That sharp, dangerous tail blade was resting lightly on his throat. Even just barely touching it, he could feel a thin line of blood dripping onto his shirt. Good thing it was red. His aunt would kill for knives this sharp.

'Looks like I'm gonna have to wear turtlenecks for a while.' He thought, looking the centaur in the eyes. Good thing he liked turtlenecks.

Dammit, where was his train of thought?

(Put down the branch, Yeerk.) the creature didn't say.

Shane obediently dropped his little toothpick, trying not to swallow or breathe.

(Who are you?) it didn't ask, withdrawing the blade a half-centimeter so he could talk without slitting his own throat.

"Uhh, um, my name's Shane, I ran out of gas on a road near here, and I was looking for someone to take me to a gas station." He stammered quickly, trying not to look like he was about to piss his pants in fear.

There was no way this thing was from Earth. It didn't have a mouth at all, or a nose; instead, the lower half of its face was slit vertically in three places. The two sticks on top of its head had eyes on the top, which were constantly bending and turning, looking for more danger.

(Hey, Ax-man, what's – oh shit.) something else didn't say. He didn't know what the hell was happening, but he kept his stare on the centaur, unwilling to look around and see something else possibly more frightening.

(Tobias. We have a problem. Could you alert Prince Jake and Cassie?) the centaur called back, not looking around with his main two eyes either.

(Uh, yeah, sure. Cassie's parents are out of town, so there's no one in the barn. Take… take him there.)

(Walk.)

Shane lurched hurriedly, very aware of the presence behind him. He walked as fast as he dared, rushing to follow the centaur's one-word commands.

Eventually, a large wooden building emerged out of the trees. A dirt road on the other side led to a wide area a ways away, and the side next to them was open.

The centaur directed him to this building, and he entered hesitantly.

The inside was filled with cages and cages of injured animals. Next to them, a few stalls held horses. A black girl with short hair and jeans covered in stains was seated on a bale of hay across from the animals. Her mouth looked made for smiling, but right now it was drawn in a thin, tight line. When he and the creature entered, her gaze focused directly on Shane.

(Hello Cassie.) the centaur greeted quietly.

"Hi, Ax." She replied shortly.

A/N: Ooh, a cliffhanger. The next part is fun. What will they do with poor Shane? Also, I have this story written a little ways more in, but after a while updates will be slow while I continue writing.

Do the review thing plzkthnx. Reviews make me go OMGWTFBBQ!!!11111111111!!!1one!!!!111one. I do like them :)

Oh, oh, by the way: I haven't read the books in forever. So, please, if there are any canonical mistakes, tell me about them, because I probably didn't know. Also, I don't have a beta reader, so grammatical and spelling mistakes will abound. Please tell me of those as well. Thanks guys.


	3. Chapter 3

-1A/N: So, story is, I left for a month on vacay, came back, my computer's dead. So I'm a friend's to bring you the third chapter of SONG. I typed this rather quickly, so please excuse all the errors.

And everyone thank Brandon, who emailed me to get off my ass and continue the story.

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Still KA Applegate's. Still own Shane. Still broke.

--

For the next few minutes, they stood silently. Shane wanted to say something, anything, but one of those stalk eyes was continuously focused on him, and he didn't want the centaur to think he was a threat.

Finally, a brunet and a tall, blonde girl entered from the other side of the barn, their faces grim as well.

"Hey guys, Marco can't make it. He's with his dad right now." the brunet said by way of greeting.

The tall blonde stalked right up to Shane and grabbed his shirtfront. He reflexively gripped her hand, but didn't do anything else.

"Who are you?" she demanded, staring him down. The black girl pulled her away gently, but her gaze wasn't any softer.

"Relax, Rachel. He might just be a normal boy-"

"Or he could be a Controller." the brunet added softly. This thought seemed to make them all uneasy.

Shane looked at them and decided he better explain himself. "Look, I'm new in town, and I kind of got lost and ran out of gas. I was just looking for a gas station, honest. If you let me go, I swear I won't say a word about your friend." he pleaded, looking at each of them in turn. All of them looked towards the boy, who sighed.

"We can't do anything until Tob-"

(Here I am, Jake.)

(Sorry, guys, one of those stupid falcons was going after me again.) Shane looked up as a brown, largish bird swooped in, settling itself on one of the rafters.

"Hey, I know you. You're the hawk that was in my yard this morning." he exclaimed, pointing at the bird. It fixed him with a cold stare.

(I saw this kid this morning. He lives a couple houses down from Marco.) the hawk, Tob-something said.

Shane was having a hard time with this. He just talked to a hawk. It talked back. There was an alien behind him. And a bunch of kids who were all younger than him were going to kidnap him.

He sat down. Hard.

"This is not cool. What's going on?" he asked. No one was listening.

"We could lock him in the shed. That's worked before." 'Rachel' was saying.

'Cassie' shook her head.

"We can't do that. We don't know for sure if he's a Controller…" she countered.

"But we don't know for sure he isn't." 'Jake' replied, throwing him an unreadable look.

(Cassie's right, though, guys. We can't just leave a possibly innocent kid in a shack for three days. He'll be missed.) the hawk chimed in, not sounding at all worried about Shane's health.

Jake turned to the centaur.

"Ax, what do you think?"

(I will follow your lead, Prince Jake.)

"Don't call me that."

"So what, we just follow him for three days?! I don't have time to babysit."

"It's the only way."

Shane buried his face in his arms and closed his eyes, trying not to listen. This was not happening, but damn this dream was realistic.

(I can watch him today and Sunday.) Tobias said, shaking out a wing.

"If I could stay with him tonight, and Marco tomorrow night -"

"But what about school Monday?"

"Ax, can you and Tobias watch the school?"

(Yes, Prince Jake.)

"There. We're set."

Rachel glared at him, but Shane pretended not to see it.

"Tobias, you'd better morph."

The hawk said nothing, but fluttered down to the floor. Shane watched him, wondering what was going on.

For a moment, he just sat there. Then, suddenly, he rapidly began growing. Shane knew he should probably look away, but he couldn't.

As Tobias grew, the feathers began melting together like hot crayons and smoothing out. Then, the wicked, dangerous-looking beak retracted, leaving behind it a pair of human lips. The wings narrowed, lengthened, and the feathers disappeared, as if they were hot wax.

It was disgusting, gruesome. He could hear bending, snapping, growing. A squishing sound came from Tobias's stomach, the sound of organs being replaced, removed, added. Human eyes replaced hawk's. Hair began to sprout from the bald head. Pale, skinny sticks grew new hands and fingers.

It probably only took a minute. It seemed like a lifetime.

Eventually, Tobias stopped changing, and in his place, a teenage boy stood. He was shortish and skinny, with hair that fell into his face. His eyes were a shade of brown, and they held the sharp intensity of the hawk's still.

Cassie disappeared and came back with a can of gasoline, which she passed to Shane without a word. He, Tobias, and Ax took off towards Shane's abandoned vehicle silently, Ax's deadly tail still posed to strike and Tobias's predatory eyes watching him from his peripheral.

The woods were foreboding now in the lack of noise. Once they reached his truck, Ax took off without a word and Tobias waited silently as Shane filled the gas tank and started the truck. He hopped in the passenger's side, and proceeded to stare out the window as Shane drove.

--

A/N: Soo, there it is. Please remember to review and tell me what you think! I do love my reviews, and as Brandon found out, they do tend to motivate me :D


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Yeah. I love you guys too.

But seriously, people, not one review? Not even one to tell me 'Hey, this chapter sucked'? What happened? You're lucky I'm not doing this for you D: 

Disclaimer: I own Shane. I own Shane's house. I DON'T own the Animorphs. This should be apparent by the fact that I'm publishing on the INTERNET, while KA Applegate has written BOOKS. No sue.

"Hey, listen, I know you think I'm a Yark-"

"Eh-" Tobias stopped and moved his jaw. "I don't think that."

Shane fell silent, and glanced over at Tobias. The teen was staring at him. "Well, anyway, I don't really have any idea what's going on. Could you explain?" he asked hesitantly.

Tobias looked down; then he explained. All of it. About the Yeerks, the Controllers, the Hork-Bajir and Taxxons.

Shane stayed silent, trying to digest the information. If it weren't for Ax and Tobias, he would never have believed it. Couldn't have believed it. When Tobias finished, he fell silent again. Shane watched the buildings pass by, then opened his mouth.

"…Can I ask you something?" Tobias glanced at him, face unreadable, then nodded.

"So…why did you show up in morph? And why were you at my house in morph?" Tobias didn't answer.

"…Sorry. Touchy subject?"

The teen shook his head. "No, it's just…" Shane waited, pretending his attention was focused on the road.

"I'm what the Andalites call a 'nothlit.' We were in a battle, and I didn't get to morph back in the two-hour time limit. I was trapped in morph." He explained slowly. His face made no expression, his voice was flat and toneless, but Shane could feel his sadness.

"A creature called The Ellimist gave me back my morphing power, but my true form is a hawk." Hawkboy looked out the window as Shane pulled in the driveway and turned off his truck. He opened his door, then realized Tobias couldn't get his own open.

"Oh, sorry, that door's picky. Here." He leaned across Tobias's lap and shoved it open.

"I live alone, so I guess that's good for you guys. No suspicious parents to explain to." He commented absently as he let himself into the house. Tobias looked around his apartment with no expression. Now, to Shane's eyes, the once small but cozy house he had been content with looked shabby and bare.

"Sorry, still moving in and all." He apologized, flipping his hat off and setting it on the counter.

"You mind if I look around?" Tobias asked, disappearing into the house. Shane heaved himself up on the counter and waited patiently for his guest to reappear. Before the arrival of his guest, his kitchen had seemed somewhat small, but perfect for a single seventeen year old guy who wouldn't make much use of it. Now it was cramped, and he was a little embarrassed by the cheery yellow walls and blue doorway.

He was fiddling with the idea of painting it a suave black when Tobias swept back in, hands shoved roughly in his too-tight pockets.

"See anything you like?" Shane asked, wondering what Tobias thought about his place.

"Sorry, I had to check for portable Yeerk pools." He explained with no sign of apology as he stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Hey, I understand. Pop a squat, or actually," Shane jumped off the counter and gave Tobias a 500-watt grin. "My stomach wants to eat you. Let's find some chow." Tobias was staring again. He seemed to notice and looked away, studying the carpet.

"Hey, listen, you're not obligated to be nice to me or anything. This isn't cool, having to scope you out 24/7 for three days, but it's gotta be done. He said with almost a thought of emotion, playing with a strand of hair slightly nervously.

Tobias was, if nothing else (which way in no way and by no means true), interesting to watch. He had been a hawk for so long that he had almost forgotten how to be human. His lack of facial expressions, tendency to stare. He twitched a lot, trying to do things hawks do, then realized he couldn't or shouldn't do them as a human.

But most noticeable to Shane(who, despite all outward looks, was a fairly sensitive guy) was the intensity in his eyes. There was something intriguing there… and something sad. Shane wanted to punch him in the shoulder (or maybe the face) and tell him things were going to be fine, but he knew it was a blatant lie, and he couldn't lie to Tobias. Hawkboy's life sucked already; he didn't need another problem.

"Well, if we're going to be stuck together today and tomorrow, might as well make it good."

"…yeah." Tobias's face twitched, and the corners of his mouth pulled out and upwards a little bit. He was trying to smile.

Shane thought his heart was going to melt into a puddle of goo and get eaten by the neighbor's dog. It was a slightly foreign feeling; he settled for flashing a grin instead of pulling Tobias into a brotherly hug and marched out of the kitchen, feeling like he had gotten something out of today.

"So, what's your poison? Mexican? Italian?" he searched Tobias's eyes as he rattled off food types, knowing that would be the only way he could tell whether Tobias liked something or not. Damn idiot wouldn't just admit it; he'd pretend it didn't matter to him.

"I don't care." BINGO! You won the fruit basket.

"Oh, come _on, _Tobias. You've got to have _some _sort of likes and dislikes. Hit me." He replied good-naturedly, waving a hand in the air for emphasis.

"Before I-" he stopped in mid-sentence.

"…Back when… I lived with my uncle, I used to like Chinese. I think." Did Tobias just admit to having a distinct preference in food? What blasphemy. What sacrilege. How dare he do that.

"That's good, because I like Chinese! Let's go, I know exactly where to go. We passed it on the way in." he said gleefully as he tossed the shoeless Tobias a pair of sneakers and toed his own sandals back on. He looked over to see the teen hurriedly stuffing the ends of the untied laces into the inside of the shoes.

"What, you forget how to tie your shoes or something?" Shane joked, crouching down next to Tobias with his elbows on his knees.

It didn't take long for Shane to realize he'd just said the worst possible thing he could have said in the situation. Hawkboy was staring at the shoes, looking utterly defeated by them.

"You forget a lot of things, living as a hawk. Human things." He said in a troubled tone of voice.

The sheer amount of emotion in those words hit Shane in the face like a brick or five.

It didn't really occur to him until now what it must be like, living as a hawk. Only being able to spend two hours at a time as a human. Tobias had trouble talking; he couldn't remember simple things everyone else did every day. He probably didn't go to school, or spend time with his family. He couldn't watch TV. He couldn't sleep in a bed.

It was a wonder that he was the least bit human. How did he get through the day, forcibly being what he was not?

Shane stood up and walked to Tobias, who stared at him warily with eyes that were human and hawk equally.

"Well, check this out. A friend of mine showed me this shoelace knot that's supposed to be really tight and not come undone. And you don't have ever untie your shoes." He commented, fishing the shoelaces out and pulling them snug.

It was a petty diversion, a pitifully false cover for Tobias's dignity, but he accepted it and let Shane tie his shoes, listening and nodding in all the right places as Shane went through the overly complicated, pointless knot step by step. Shane finished finally and tucked the ends neatly into the laces on the tongue of the sneaker.

A/N: Somewhat of a boring chapter, I'm afraid, at least around the beginning. There is very little action in SONG right now, but I promise it will… eventually… pick up. Forgive me, I'm still learning.

As always, PLEASE review, because I have the potential to change the story in your favor if you ask nicely. Leave me a review and it'll make the story better, I promise.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I knew if I got all pissy someone would review. Thanks you guys! It makes it so much more fun to post this shit when you guys tell me you like it. I included a little something extra in here for those of you who've been begging for slash… I don't want to rush it, so this is the best I can do now, but keep coming back and you'll eventually get rewarded

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't like, don't read.

----

The drive to the mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant was silent, but a comfortable silence, much better than the hostile silence Tobias had regarded him with just earlier that day.

Shane turned up the radio and sang along softly, trying not to think too much about the strange new world he had been thrown into. The thumping bass helped; it was familiar, an old friend in the face of new enemies.

"This place okay?" he asked as he pulled into the parking lot of the little Chinese buffet. Tobias nodded, trying once again to open the door in vain.

"It's sort of a 'push and pop' motion." Shane added, trying to be helpful. "If you kinda push down hard then immediately push out, it should open." Tobias did so, but it still refused to grant him access to the outside, so Shane once again leaned over Tobias's lap and popped it open.

He vowed, as he slid out of the cab, to find a mechanic and get his door fixed. The way things were going, he would really need a little less hassle in his life. Or maybe he could just take the doors off altogether. That would be cool.

The little restaurant, title 'Red Blossom', was small and plain on the outside, but the inside was bright and cheery, filled with oriental decoration. On one wall, a mural of blood-red flowers bloomed, mixed here and there with white blossoms and a few deep green leaves. An elderly Asian woman was perched on a stool at the front desk, a small bristle brush in her hand. She looked up from her calligraphy and smiled.

"Welcome. Sit please, where you like." She greeted them, sweeping a hand across the open, table-filled room.

They picked a table in the corner, away from the few people that were here for a late lunch.

Shane watched the waitress nervously, wondering whether or not a Yark was controlling her every action. He could understand how maybe people could be infected, but for ever day, normal people, people who you had known for years, who you never knew were controllers…how could that be? How could a slug from distant planets, who knew nothing of Earth, of human ways, slowly invade, and NOBODY NOTICE?!

It was insane. It was crazy. It was totally illogical.

"I'll have a coke." He said politely, smiling at her.

And yet, between the morphing and the cen-Andalite, and the otherwise totally normal kids. And Tobias, the hawk-boy. The boy who had forgotten how to smile. And frown. And talk. How to tie his shoes, and use a straw, and slump in his seat like any teenager does.

"You wanna go grab some food now?" he questioned. Tobias didn't turn his head, his gaze was focused on the entrance door. A short, Hispanic boy and an older man whose hair was slightly mussed and clothes slightly wrinkled were standing at the desk, looking around for a table. The teen's eyes slid of Shane in disinterest, but stopped abruptly on the other, who was staring back just as fiercely.

At first, Shane was worried it was another bully, despite his short stature and general look of casualness. But then –

'_Marco couldn't make it. He's with his dad.'_

'So that must be Marco-boy.' He thought, trying to process his position in the group.

The teen had turned to his dad and was saying something. His father nodded and walked off towards a table while Marco made his way to the bathroom. Tobias rose to follow.

"Stay he-" he stopped, then gave Shane a sour look as he realized he couldn't leave him behind. Shane grinned sheepishly, and followed, trying to mask his somewhat strange feeling of jealousy. Marco and Tobias were clearly much closer than he and Tobias, and Shane had yet to be truly accepted by Tobias, despite his efforts. Shane didn't know why he wanted to impress Tobias so much so quickly, but it was starting to get on his nerves.

Marco was standing at the sink, washing his hands. When they entered, he looked up and smiled wanly.

"Oh, hey Tobias. Thought that was you in the corner. Who's your friend?" he asked, his tone bland and friendly. But he was staring harshly at Shane without bothering to mask it; analyzing, weighing.

"Oh, this is Shane. He met Ax earlier today and Ax wanted me to show him around. You know, keep an eye on him." Tobias replied, just as blandly. His eyes were wary.

Shane disappeared into a stall, as per usual when one visited the restroom, not at all unhappy to get out of sight of Marco and somewhat separate himself from the tense situation. He thought longingly of the girl he had met on the side of the road the just this morning. She had been cheery and friendly, and thought the teen acted happy-go-lucky, he really just wanted someone to stop suspecting him and give him a friendly look. He was going to flip out from all this suspicion and distance.

When he had stood there long enough, listening to them talk as he pretended to pee, he exited the stall to rejoin Marco and Tobias and wash his hands.

"You and Marco ought to get together sometime. He can help you out getting acquainted with the town and stuff; show you the ropes or whatever."

Marco laughed.

"You know me. Always to keep kids out of the evil clutches of The Sharing." He joked, just a little too flat to be genuinely humorous.

"That would be cool. You think you could make it Sunday night?" he asked, knowing he was expected to 'play along.'

Marco grinned; his eyes were cold above the false smile, and he flashed a thumbs up. "Can do. I gotta get back to my pops though. See you guys later."

Shane followed Tobias back, feeling he had missed more than he'd gotten out of that conversation. He mused over it for a moment, then shrugged and abandoned the thought in favor of some crab wantons.

((A//N: And you know, I actually skipped the restaurant scene. How could I give up such a wonderful chance of male bonding and Hawkboy awkwardness? There must had been drugs involved. But have no fear, the writer is _definitely_ not gonna let that scene slide.))

Scoop after scoop of food filled Shane's plate. Today had been stressful, and Shane responded to stress with food. Besides, this Chinese buffet didn't have the wilted, been-there-too-long look of most, and included sushi and crab legs. How could he pass _that _up?

Tobias followed him back to his seat, plate mostly filled with meats of some sort. Shane supposed eating rabbits and mice kind of killed your appetite for rabbit food.

"Tobias, you've got to eat your vegetables, honey, or your growth will be stunted." Shane chided in his best motherly voice, tossing a couple of pieces of broccoli onto Hawkboy's plate. The teen looked at them in distaste, then stabbed it with a chopstick and took a small bite off it.

Shane rolled his eyes and pulled the chopstick away from him. "Quit giving Americans a bad name. You know how to use chopsticks?"

The slightly embarrassed look in Tobias's eyes and the slight flush on his pale skin told him no, so he scooted to another chair closer to Tobias and motioned for his hand. Tobias offered it delicately, as if he was afraid Shane would rip it off and run away with it.

"Alright, so, you just stick that one right there and hold it there. It doesn't move, okay? Now this one you hold like a pencil…no, hold it a little farther up… there. It feels a little awkward at first but you'll get used to it." Shane adjusted Tobias's hand to his satisfaction and sat back, watching Tobias clumsily pick up a piece of meat and attempt to slide it into his mouth. His chopsticks lost their awkward grip on the meat and it slid off them, leaving a trail of sauce on Tobias's cheek.

Shane grinned as Tobias cursed and wiped it off with the back of his hand, missing a little on his lip. He looked at the chopsticks in frustration, angry that he couldn't use them.

"Hey, chill, it's okay. Chopsticks are hard and you've never used 'em before. Try again."

Tobias gave him a withering look, but picked them back up and tried to imitate what Shane had done before. The bottom one slipped out of his hand, and he sighed.

"This is impossible…" he muttered quietly.

The teen smiled at him, amused by him. The sight of Tobias being so embarrassed about this was both amusing, but he got a real urge to help him. He picked up the chopsticks again and rearranged them in Hawkboy's hand, this time using his hand to guide Tobias's hand down to the food and help him pick it up. This piece of beef made it up to and into Tobias's mouth, and his look of relief was so out of place for him Shane wanted to either smile or look away. He couldn't decide, so he did both.

"See? You got it. I'm really not that good at it either, so we'll look retarded together." He assured the blond.

Tobias looked up at him, mouth twitching. This one was more recognizable as a smile than the last, and Shane couldn't help but grin back.

"Thanks."

A//N: About half this chapter was written on the spot. None of the eating scene was actually included in the original chapter, but you guys have been begging for slash, so I tried to give you what little I could. I said originally I was going to let you guys pick the pairing, but I kinda settled into one because I couldn't wait to get writing :). Hope it wasn't too rushed; I may come back and rewrite this later.

As always, read and review plzkthx. And don't ever say I don't care (coughM&Mcough) :P You guys are important to me, which is why I want to hear from you, and I know the hell that is school, so don't think I don't sympathize.


	6. Chapter 6

A//N: New chapter! I'm starting to catch up to the part I haven't written yet, so I need to be on the ball. Anyway, so Jake shows up, and he and Shane have a rough time of it. This chapter's pretty filler because it's just Jake/Shane introduction, so sorry about that. Next chapter will be fun though, I promise

And a big round of applause to Marcus, who's horribly nice to me and agrees that Tobias is very tragically cute :)

Disclaimer: I write on Fanfiction. net.

Someone pulled up in front of Shane's house on a bike, leaning it carefully against the old oak in the front yard and starting towards the door.

"That's Jake, isn't it?" he asked Tobias, who was lounging on the couch, deep into one of Shane's books. A full day of being human had loosened him up and made his actions more natural, but his face stayed as cold as ever.

That was the part that bothered Shane most about Tobias. He knew it wasn't that Tobias didn't feel anything, but he didn't _show _it. He wasn't used to talking, so most of what he said was monotone, and he was still flexing out his face muscles. Shane wanted to see him smile more, at least for his own peace of mind. He wanted to be able to tell what Tobias was feeling, seeing as how Hawkboy sure as hell wouldn't tell him himself.

Tobias looked up reluctantly, trapping his page as he closed the novel with a finger. "Yeah." He said simply, sliding to his feet and going to the door. He slipped out and shut it behind him, leaving Shane alone in the well-lit living room.

Shane got up and tried to think on what he could possibly cook for dinner, but he couldn't focus on anything but Tobias and Jake and whether they thought Shane was a Yark. It was a disturbing thought, to think of being trapped inside your own body, as someone impersonated you, someone who acted more like you than you did…

It was a good thing he wasn't a Yark.

And he, Shane, knew he wasn't, but Jake and Tobias _didn't, _and that was the worst part about it. On some level, they suspected that Shane wasn't real, wasn't a genuine, and it kind of hurt being thought of as a fake. He didn't want the first group of kids he met in town seeing him that way, no matter whether they became friends or not.

Especially Tobias.

After a moment of failed wondering, he sighed and shamefully crept up to the kitchen window, which he had left open in the day's heat. If he was going to feel ashamed about thinking of eavesdropping whether he did it or not, he might as well do it. They were talking about him anyway, so it didn't really matter, did it? Okay, so it did, and it was still eavesdropping. Whatever. He could get over it.

Tobias and Jake hadn't bothered to move away from the house, confident he couldn't hear them. Their faces were hidden by the shadow of the tree, and they almost looked like a couple of delinquents in Shane's yard. Though the conversation they were having gave off the total opposite impression.

"-kept an eye on him the entire time, nothing suspicious."

"Don't let him fool you, Tobias. It's possible he's a Yeerk; we've got to make sure our secret's kept. If the Yeerks find out we're just normal kids and not Andalites, we're done for. No matter how nice he acts, we won't know if he's infested until the three days are up."

Oops. It was Yeerk. Would he ever get this right?

"So, if he's not a Yeerk, what are we going to do? We can't just let him go, he could just become a Controller in the future."

"If that's the case, which I guess it will be either way, he'll just have to become one of us."

Tobias was silent for a long moment.

"…you can't be serious."

Shane heard the distasteful tone in his voice and wilted a little. He had thought he and Tobias were getting along okay. But then, maybe it was just paranoia. Maybe Tobias didn't really mind. He had subconsciously realized that the Animorphs were a close-knit group; after all, they had been through things kids shouldn't ever see, but that didn't make their almost automatic dismissal of him any better.

"That's our only choice, Tobias."

"Jake, we _can't_ have another David on our hands."

David? Who was David?

"Well, we can't jump that hurdle until we reach it, so let's not worry about it." Jake didn't sound very confident in that statement. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well as Tobias.

"You're going to worry about it, Jake. I know you will."

Shane heard Jake sigh. "That's what comes of being a fearless leader, huh?" 

"Don't work yourself too hard, Jake," Tobias replied. "I guess I'd better get out of here."

"Yeah, okay." The familiar sound of bones cracking and organs squishing started up, though slightly faint from distance.

Shane jumped away from the window and busied himself looking through the cabinets, trying to squish the little bead of jealousy in his chest. Tobias was so…_comfortable_ with Jake, as if he had known him all his life. Well, okay, he probably had. But he couldn't help wishing he already had that type of relationship with Tobias.

Well, they had done okay so far. Maybe it would turn into that.

He heard the door open, and looked over as Jake came in silently, alone. He shut the door and stood there awkwardly, looking around at the small house. He didn't look particularly happy to be here, which was an out of place expression for the situation: two guys spending the night. Come on, wasn't this supposed to be casual and fun?

"Come on in." Shane said in his 'I-love-houseguests!' voice as he poked through the cabinets for edible sustenance.

Jake took a few steps forward and again just stood there.

"Hey, look, we kind of got off on the wrong foot with the whole 'Oh-my-god-you're-a-Yeerk' thing." He started, extending a friendly hand. "So why don't we reintroduce ourselves in a more normal way. I'm Shane."

Jake took his hand and shook it, looking at Shane rather than their joined appendages. A real leader, to be sure. Shane couldn't tell whether he was relieved his roommate-for-the-night was a nice guy, or jealous that Jake-who-knew-Tobias-well was a nice guy.

"Jake." He introduced simply, letting go.

Shane, not one to be fazed by unfriendly behavior, smiled effortlessly and beckoned towards the kitchen.

"I was just attempting to start dinner. Wanting anything in particular?" he questioned.

Jake's eyes flicked with distrust and suspicion. It was less guarded than Tobias's, but still just a slight meaningful glance in Shane's direction, unnoticeable unless someone had just spent an entire day with a boy who was really a hawk and expected him to be a brain-sucking mind-controlling alien slug. Put that way, the glance was pretty obvious.

"Unless, of course, you've already eaten." He threw over his shoulder casually, still searching the cabinets for something sustaining. The cabinets regurgitated nothing, and apparently he hadn't remembered to buy food and forgotten about it. Damn.

"Okay, well, actually Jake…" he said sheepishly, "Turns out I don't exactly _have _any food to cook. You, uh, have an aversion to pizza?"

Jake looked surprised for some reason. Was it that strange to offer someone staying at his house food? Or did he expect him to act obviously like a Yeerk?

"What kind of pizza do you like?" he asked, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. Jake shrugged.

"I don't like mushrooms."

Shane twisted his mouth. He liked mushrooms. Figures.

"Whassay we get a half supreme, half whatever you want?"

Jake shrugged.

Shane felt a stirring of annoyance in his stomach. He hadn't grown two heads or anything. Why where they being so cold to him?

"Hey, listen, I know you've got a problem with me possibly being a Yeerk, but we could at least be friendly to each other. I mean, even if I was a Yeerk, wouldn't it be just like talking to the real me anyway?" he said angrily, clutching the phone in his hand in a death grip. Jake stiffened noticeably, his face getting hard and hateful.

"How can you say that?" he asked icily. "Talking to a Yeerk…an imposter…sharing your life, your feelings with a slug that's laughing while the real person is screaming and crying…" he said passionately, his voice low. His thin, long hands were gripping the kitchen counter like it was going to be ripped from him, and Shane could almost hear it creaking.

There was a story there. A million stories. Shane's mouth opened. He wanted to know.

It closed. No. No he didn't.

Jake wouldn't tell.

"Look, I'm sorry…I…" he stopped, seeing that Jake had yet to finish.

"You don't know. You don't know anything. So just keep quiet and keep your nose where it belongs, okay?" Jake rasped as he looked at him with those sharp, prideful eyes.

Shane did as he was told. For once, he didn't have anything to say.

The pizza came, in all its pasteurized-processed cheese product and canned Prego glory. They ate silently, Jake's mood having gone from suspicious to stony, and Shane kept his lips sealed in case they spouted something stupid again.

Jake glanced at him before sighing and setting his pizza down.

"Listen…"

The brunet looked up, his mouth full and a piece of pepperoni hanging from his lip. He swallowed and grinned sheepishly, and Jake's face softened for a moment.

"I guess I've been kind of tough on you. If you really are just a kid, then none of this is your fault. It's just that..." he trailed off, fingering a piece of crust. "It's hard to find out that the people you love the most… they're lies. They're fakes. And 24-7, your real parents and siblings are trapped, with no hope of escape." He grinned slightly.

"It's hard to have someone and then realize, you've been living with a slug for all those years."

Shane smiled back. "Yeah… I guess I don't have that problem." He said quietly.

The teen was sorry as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Jake looked surprised, the shut his lips tightly, looking pained.

"So, um.." Shane trailed off, trying to think of something to say.

"So, I guess you guys are stuck with me, huh? What's…what's it like being an Animorph?"

Jake grinned. Sourly.

"Your grades begin to drop. You come home exhausted. You don't have time for anything else. Your parents constantly ask if there's something wrong. You fall asleep in class. You lose friends. And you develop a really bad sense of humor from Marco's lame jokes."

Shane laughed; despite all evidence to the contrary, Shane had believed Jake to have a sense of humor, and here it was.

Shane opened his mouth and was about to reply when the doorbell rang.

A//N: Ooh, suspenseful. Who will it be, ringing at the new guy's door on a Saturday? Stay tuned! And as always, review please.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: You guys are sooo nice to me! I'm wanting to update so quickly I'll run out of written chapters soon.

Disclaimer: I write on Fanfiction. Net.

"Damn. My first full day here and already I've got a party." Shane commented, setting his drink down and getting up.

The entirety of the doorstep was occupied by a teen twice Shane's size. He was good looking, with blond buzzed hair and a five o'clock shadow ghosting around his chin. His shirt was baggy and black, with the words 'You're a Dumbshit.' Printed on it in white block letters. He was smiling, but not in a friendly I-brought-you-brownies kind of way.

"Heard you're new in town. Thought I'd swing by and welcome you." He said, putting his sledgehammer of a hand on the doorframe over Shane. His ring finger was adorned with a giant, heavy-looking state champion ring.

Shane smiled blandly, watching the jock with suspicious eyes. He didn't like where this was headed. "Nice to meet you, Jocky boy. It was kind of you to stop by."

The teen scowled, his posture becoming offensive. "Also heard you were talking to my girlfriend. Thought I'd let you know we don't approve of girl-snatchers in this town." He said, the undercurrent of his voice chilling and menacing.

Shane leaned in, mirroring the stance with his significantly smaller body. It was like looking an angry bull in the eyes, and Shane knew he was in trouble but he was enjoying it.

"Yeah, well, America doesn't approve of bestiality either, so I guess I and your dad are in the same boat." He shot back cockily, smirking.

Shane never even saw it coming.

The next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back. The Bull was above him, flexing his fingers lazily. His cheek burned; something warm and wet slid down it slowly. The Bull's ring gleamed red in the low light as he wiped the blood off with a finger and flicked it on Shane.

Shane's leg flexed, shot up, nestled itself between the Bull's legs. The teen bent over, howling in pain as Shane scrambled up. He soaked in his moment of glory; he knew he would pay dearly for it.

Wham. This punch had caught him straight in the eye; he somersaulted backwards, taking down his door table with him.

That last punch had made him slightly dizzy, so Shane decided standing up wasn't an option. Instead, he waited for the jock to come over and break his fingers slowly. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and chanced a look with his good left eye.

Jake was standing over him, his eyes marble-hard like the ones Shane had seen when he mentioned the Yeerks.

"Ooh, a little freshman. Gonna beat me up, Jake?" Shane thought about moving to help, but decided he was a hindrance and it was best to stay where he was while Jake saved his ass. And other than the place where Jake's legs connected being right above him, it was a pretty good spot.

"No, but Tom won't take kindly to you beating up his little brothers, will he?" Jake shot back, curling his hands into fists. The Bull's mouth twisted into an ugly grimace, but he backed down grudgingly.

"Poor little Jake, too frightened to stand up for himself, so he hides behind his big brother. How pathetic." His hands tightened around the doorway; he was pulling the doorjamb out inch by inch. He spit on Shane, but Shane could tell the Bull was going to leave.

"You better run, before Tom shows up, Jockboy." Shane taunted, wiping his sleeve on the Senior's jeans.

The Bull gave Shane one last kick and turned, slumping off into the darkness.

Shane slowly slid to his feet, feeling his bruised eye with one gentle finger. It was already beginning to swell, and it hurt like hell.

"My hero."

Jake smiled, genuinely this time, and stepped off of him so he could stand up completely. His hands were stuck in his pockets, and he slouched like all teenagers do, but Shane could see the fire in his eyes.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you? You can't even fight to back yourself up." Jake noted wryly, shoving Shane with one hand. Shane winced and smiled, feeling his bruised ribs tighten up.

"Rather die with a grin than live quietly. Besides, I knew you'd save me, Prince Charming."

"Whatever. I'll remember that next time you get jumped." Jake collapsed back on the couch while Shane limped to the bathroom to see his trophy.

His eye was bloodshot so badly it looked like it was red with speckles of white. The thin skin under his eye was a nasty purple colour – in a few minutes, they would be black. Too bad it wasn't Halloween – it was a rather effective mask. He would have to remember to get himself slugged next October. With a grin at his own stupidity, Shane pulled one of his drawers open and looked for something to ease the ache of his face.

He had nothing. Wondrous. With a sigh, he splashed some water on his face and dried himself off.

What the hell was that kid doing anyway, attacking someone this late at night? If Jake hadn't been there, he would have been creamed. Shane really needed to learn how to defend himself.

Jake was slung over the couch comfortably; apparently, saving Shane's butt from its certain demise had made him a little friendlier. Jake moved over when he noticed Shane in the doorway.

He still wasn't sure what to think about Jake. He was your average boy next door, but not really. Maybe before the whole deal with the Yeerks, that's what he as. But, now, something about him was harder. Tougher. Less trusting. He was old in a way that didn't have anything to do with age.

But, he also looked like a kid too. A tired, overworked teenager.

If Shane stayed with them, would he look like that? Tired all the time, suspicious of everyone? He wasn't sure he could deal with that. Shane smiled at Jake and waved away his offer of space on the couch.

"I know you're gonna stay up all night and stare at me while I sleep, but I'm gonna make you a bed anyway." He explained, ripping a box in the corner of the apartment open. "Anyway, you've got the couch." He added as he dug for blankets in the cardboard.

"Uh, no, that's okay. The couch is all yours." Jake replied, standing up.

Shane shot him a look. "Don't give me that crap. You're sleeping on the stupid couch, get over it."

"Uh…alright, I guess."

There they were! Buried under a thin layer of miscellaneous junk that he wasn't sure why he bothered to bring were some sloppily folded blankets, which he grabbed and hauled out of the box.

As he threw blankets over the couch, Jake joined him, eventually making what looked like a couch with a bunch of blankets thrown over it. Not exactly a bed. Oh well.

His sleeping bag was still lying in front of the couch; he grabbed it and dragged it off to the side. Lights were turned out, words exchanged.

Shane could feel eyes on him as he lay there, but he was too tired to care.

"Mmm…Sun…die…" he muttered into his jacket, mashing his eyelids together in a desperate attempt to stop the light from entering his retinas.

"Sorry, no can do." An unfamiliar voice replied.

"SHIT." Shane sat bolt upright, looking around wildly for the intruder.

Tobias was slumped on his lone piece of furniture, one hand over his mouth, trying to hide a faint smile at Shane's disarrayed state. Shane noticed his shirt was pushed up around his torso and tugged it down, scowling.

"What happened to Jake?" he asked casually, pretending he wasn't flustered by Tobias's sudden appearance.

The boy-hawk shrugged, folding his arms around his chest. The smiled was already gone; once again, his face was stony.

"Had to leave for some family thing."

"Huh. Remind me to tell him thank you for letting me know before he left." He said dryly. Tobias snorted, amused.

Shane stood up creakily, realizing he still had yet to find clothes to wear.

More digging in boxes. Great.

Hawkboy watched him silently as Shane ambled over to a cardboard cube and began scattering its contents all over the floor in search of clothing.

"So," he began conversationally as he dug, "we should do something today. Something besides sit around the house."

An alarm clock, a teddy bear, a baseball…"It must suck for you to have to baby-sit me all day."

A calculator, old school folder, a dollar.

Hey…a dollar…

"You don't have to entertain me." Tobias said quietly.

Shane looked over his shoulder. The teen was staring intently at the wall, looking troubled.

"Hey, no, it's cool. No offense to you, but it gets kinda creepy having you staring at my back all the time. Figure I'd do something to get your eyes focused elsewhere."

It took Tobias's silence for a moment to realize what he said. Shane winced, glancing over his shoulder.

"Sorry, wrong thing to say, I guess." Tobias shrugged, but didn't speak.

Shane was having a hard time with Tobias, he mused as he pulled out a stack of clothes. A pair of cargo shorts, and purple long-sleeved shirt.

Gay. Whatever.

He was closed, Tobias was. His face was carefully blank, his talking minimal. He preferred to stay out of arm's reach, and his movements were jerky. He wasn't used to being human. Shane understood that, considering true form now was hawk – he could be a boy for only two hours at a time.

But…

If Shane was trapped in an animal body, and he could become a human, even if it was only for a little while, he would do it. He was pretty sure most people would. But not Tobias. He didn't seem to morph unless it was absolutely necessary.

Did he just not feel like changing?

Or was there another, deeper reason?

Shane's head hurt, and not just from his black eye, so he decided to put off the deep thinking for now.

Off came the tight red shirt. On went the new shirt. It was loose, but still form-fitting. He switched his pants out and looked at the outfit, wondering if it was okay to go out in.

Tobias was wearing a pair of khaki slacks, a light blue long sleeved brand-name, and a dusty brown, designer over shirt.

He'd look like an average Joe next to Model boy. Or at least kin to a gay couple.

Hawkboy caught his gaze and examined his own clothing.

"Rachel picked them out." He said, as if that had some sort of significance.

So Rachel could shop. Interesting.

"I hope you don't get jumped." He commented, heading towards the kitchen.

"Jake and your eye told me what happened." Tobias shot back.

Aw, shit. Now everyone knew he couldn't fight. This sucked.

"Yeah, well, I'm a lover, not a fighter." Oh, hey, a granola bar. Right on.

"You hungry?"

Tobias appeared at the doorway as Shane wolfed down some of the granola bar.

"No. I got a rabbit this morning."

Shane froze for a second, giving Tobias a strange look.

"A _rabbit._"

Tobias turned away. "Uh. Yeah. I'm a hawk, remember?" Though his words were casual, Shane could tell he was hurt.

"Hey, no, that's fine." Shane said hurriedly, "I just forget. About the bird thing and all."

Tobias shrugged and was silent.

Crap. Good going, Shane. Looked like Tobias was a little more sensitive than he'd thought, and he'd just ruined the entire day.

A/N: So, where are Shane and Toby going? And how's Shane gonna fix his mistake? Stay tuned! And please review :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Ya'll pissed yet? Yeah, I know – I got stuck on writing a part and I didn't want to update until I was writing regularly again, seeing as how writing what I'm about to post never turns out well. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! It's good to know a story's liked.

DISCLAIMER: I own Shane. And I own Tobias. In poker. He lost twenty bucks to me last night. No kidding.

--------------------o------------------

"So…uh…" Shane snuck a look at Tobias's face, which didn't look particularly friendly.

"Where can we go around here to have some fun?"

Tobias shrugged. Tobias's diet issue must've been more sensitive than he thought. Come on now, Shane only had one friend that ate raw rabbit, could it be that maybe hearing about it would throw him a little out of whack for a second?

"I guess there's an amusement park around here… the Yard or something. You like roller coasters?" he asked gently. It was clear that whatever ground he had gained with Tobias friendship-wise was completely gone. He was pretty sure that if Tobias weren't obligated to watch him, he would be long gone. And Shane really didn't want his head bitten off or even the attempt made.

He had never met someone that had so much baggage. The hawk-boy followed him out to the truck silently, staring out the window at the sky as they drove. Shane just turned the radio up, not knowing what to say or trusting him to come up with anything intelligent.

After a little fumbling and driving around, he found the entrance to the amusement park, which was called 'The Gardens', not 'The Yard.' Whatever.

Shane couldn't take it. This was NOT going to work.

"I'm sorry, Tobias, okay? I know it's tough being a hawk, but for the last seventeen years of my life I didn't know they could talk, much less go to amusement parks with me. So you gotta give me a little slack and let me wrap my head around the idea of you eating fuzzy little bunnies, seeing as how I don't tend to do that very often."

Tobias looked at him.

And cracked up.

"Fuzzy little bunnies? Really now, Shane? You talk like that often, or just to your boyfriend?" he asked through his laughter, leaning against the truck for support.

Shane frowned at that. Either Tobias wouldn't talk to him, or he was laughing at him. Great. Eventually, the blonde followed him to the admission gate, still snickering at Shane, as he bought two tickets and eased through the turnstile.

That was better than silence, anyway. He guessed. Maybe. Not that he particularly liked to be laughed at either.

The amusement park was large; there was no other way to describe it. Food stalls popped up like pimples on the sides of the asphalt, and ride tracks loomed over them as people's delighted screams drifted to him on the wind. He could smell kettle corn and funnel cakes (god he loved funnel cakes) down the way.

Tobias scanned, faintly overwhelmed too. "I think we're gonna need a map." Shane commented, surveying the six different paths leading from where they stood.

Tobias shook his head, still looking around warily. "I know this like the back of my hand. I've flown over here a lot." He replied, moving away from a group of laughing, loudly talking people.

Shane couldn't help but check out ever group of people they passed. Crowds of girls in skimpy bikinis giggle and talked. Families of dads with beer bellies and shrieking, smiling children hurried past. Occasionally, a couple would pass, glued to each other's side (and sometimes each other's mouths).

In comparison, a pair of teenage boys strolling about, one dressed like he model for Tommy Hilfiger, the other looking like his sister had him his jeans and shirt, was a little strange.

They needed a couple of girls hanging off their arms. Well, maybe they'd get lucky. "So, what are we riding first?" Shane asked cheerily.

Tobias shrugged, uncaring.

"Your show." He replied evasively, focusing his attention on not brushing against anyone.

"Well, then, let's just pick a direction and walk, eh?"

He turned to his right and started down a path, Tobias trailing him with his head down. They passed several food stands, airbrush tables, souvenirs, all the junky, expensive things you found at amusement parks. The first ride they encountered was a water ride; a large, 10-seater raft that floated down a water track, bumping against walls and being sloshed by waves. Neither Shane nor Tobias were dressed for getting wet.

"Let's go!" the brunet exclaimed, dragging Tobias to the entrance by a shoulder.

"I don't want to get wet." Tobias protested as Shane toed his shoes off in the small cubby, trying to pull away from Shane's insistent hand.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, it's so hot out, we'll be dry in no time." He coaxed.

Tobias gave up resisting and slipped his shoes off as well, being careful not to untie them. A couple of girls were occupying the raft they were put on, looking delighted to be joined by a pair of teenage boys.

"Hi, ladies. Having a good time?" he said suavely, taking the liberty of sitting next to one rather than occupying an empty seat. She smiled and scooted a little closer, stretching out her long, tan legs for him to see.

"Even better with a couple of cute boys here." she said flirtily. Tobias was sitting by himself until the brunette wriggled in beside him, not fazed by his younger age or antisocial behavior.

"So, how did you two pretty girls end up here and stay single?" he inquired casually, slinging an arm around the seat behind her. The ride was jerking into motion, sliding into the manmade river with a splash.

"We just haven't met anyone as cute as you yet." The brunette crooned, accidentally bumping her bare leg into Tobias's. He didn't respond, and was looking straight forward.

The first dip in the river caused a wave to splash over them. The blonde squealed at the cold and grabbed Shane's arm. "It's so cold." She whimpered, trying to sound girlish and pitiful.

Shane was in heaven. He scooted so they were touching and patted her leg.

"You'll get used to it." He said in a tone that didn't have anything to do with water.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tobias was in the same situation, though he looked distinctly uncomfortable with it. The brunette wasn't giving up though; she actually seemed to be enjoying it.

The raft was bumper-carring against the sides now; water was splashing everywhere, and Shane was soaked to the bone. The blonde to him was shrieking in delight, and the brunette was nearly in Tobias's lap. He was sorely disappointed when the ride ended.

"Aw, there's my dad." He girl whined to Shane as they walked back to the avenue. "I've gotta go, but how 'bout I give you my number?" she offered lightly.

Shane nodded, grinning as she produced a pen and wrote it on his arm. Then she gave him a peck on the cheek and strutted off next to the brunette. Tobias sighed, looking relieved, and leaned against the railing.

"What's up, man? You had a hot chick hanging all over you, and you're not the slightest bit interested?" Shane questioned doubtfully, retying his shoes as the sun sucked the water out of his clothes.

Tobias shrugged. Predictably, his face was unreadable.

"Why should I be?"

"Because she's H-O-T." Shane said exasperatedly, holding himself back from commenting that Tobias was weird. He didn't want the hawk-boy to clam up again. "Don't tell me you don't want to date a chick like that."

Tobias shrugged again. He did that a lot.

"Not really."

Shane shook his head. Poor Tobias was clearly lost to him.

"Fine with me. I'll take 'em both." He declared, effectively ending the conversation.

Shane was sopping wet, inky on one arm, and at an amusement park with another guy, but he didn't care. Tobias may not have been the most talkative person in the world, but Shane was getting to like him.

----------------------o--------------------

"Let's do that roller coaster next!" Shane exclaimed, pointing to a skeletal wooden backbone that twisted and turned just ahead of them. The track was jumbled, but it looked like part of it was obscured in the woods. Tobias followed him quietly.

They had to wait in line for a while, but finally they made it to the front of the line, green to board. Shane noticed with concern that Tobias's already pale face was white now, and he was staring at the coaster cars intently.

"I forgot I don't like roller coasters." He admitted softly, staring at the train of people slowly moving along.

"You? But you f-hang glide all the time."

"It's different." Tobias explained, shutting his eyes. "Hang gliding, you control yourself. Roller coasters are just a hunk of metal on a hunk of metal, and someone else is in control of your life."

That made sense. And it kinda freaked Shane out too. But not enough to skip the ride. "You wanna wait for me?" he asked as their car pulled up. Tobias shook his head, quickly crossing to his seat so he could sit down and strap himself in.

The coaster just had a seat belt and a lap bar, no shoulder straps; not surprising for a wooden roller coaster. Shane was half wondering why there was such a long line for a wooden coaster and whether Tobias was going to blow chunks.

It jerked into motion slowly. Tobias was staring straight ahead, and Shane was too busy worrying about him to notice anything else – until the roller coaster hit its first dip.

The thing lurched like it was about to fall apart any minute. The hawk-boy was holding on for dear life, and Shane scooted a little closer, hoping to make him feel a little safer.

The track skimmed the ground for a moment, the lurched back up into the sky and into a tight curve through a tunnel, rattling and clattering.

Finally, it slowed – in favor of another big drop.

Shane was enjoying it immensely – Tobias was not. As they approached the top of the drop, he slunk down into his seat, face tight to hide his fear.

Over they went. Shane threw his hands in the air in an adrenaline rush –

Until he noticed a beam cracking off the track ahead of them.

It dropped away into the trees, pulling another loose with it, but the coaster didn't - couldn't – stop.

Tobias must have seen it, because the whites were showing around his eyes. More and more of the support was falling away and suddenly, there was a perfect, gaping hole in the track. Shane threw his arm around Hawkboy shamelessly, pulling him in close as Tobias wrapped a leg around his and white-knuckled the bar.

They were on it. Shane let out a scream from the pits of his heart as they began to free-fall. They were all going to die, and like Tobias said, it was because someone else was in control of their life.

The ground was rushing up at them.

A/N: Anyone ever read _Full Tilt?_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Show of hands, how many people hate me now because I don't ever update? And btw, if you haven't read _Full Tilt,_ I won't tell you what it has to do with Tobias and Hawkboy plummeting to their death, but I do promise it's a good book.

Disclaim: Don't own. Don't sue. Don't take Shane.

---

"That was lame. I saw the track leading down through the hole." the middle-aged woman behind Tobias and Shane complained. Shane yanked Tobias to his feet, not hard considering his right arm had gone numb in Tobias's white-knuckled grasp, and steered him off the ride and out of the building. The monster ride seemed to laugh at them menacingly as they left.

Once the sunshine hit them, ,Tobias took off quickly without a word. Pushing, stumping, hand over mouth, he flew into a bathroom and through the stall door, banging his knees against the floor in a painful way. Tobias didn't even bother to close the door as he bent over the toilet and heaved.

Shane arrived a moment later into the blessedly empty bathroom and kneeled beside Tobias, rubbing his back in small circles like his mom used to do when he had a nightmare. He had no idea how to handle this; he's been shaken up by the pseudo-death too, but at least he'd held on to his breakfast. Tobias was going to hate him for the rest of his life. He felt guilty immediately after the thought and pulled the ashen boy away from the stinking toilet.

"Are you alright?" he asked dumbly as Tobias wiped his mouth and bent over the sink. The teen managed a feeble nod, but Shane wasn't convinced.

"Is that Tobias I see?" an unfamiliar male voice behind them asked in mock surprise. Tobias couldn't have turned any whiter than he already was, but he froze completely, and that was enough to tell Shane the situation had just turned for the worse.

A couple of teens were lounging behind them, one Shane was distressed to find he actually did recognize, without any friendly feelings.

"Our little Cinderella and the girlfriend-snatcher. What a pain." the Bull sneered, advancing on the two of them at the sink. Shane stepped in front of Tobias automatically, clenching his fists; he may do stupid things like force roller-coaster-hating people on deathfalls, but he sure as hell wasn't about to let a stupid jock harass them about it.

"Looks like Cinderella's found his prince." one of the boys snickered.

"He must've. He couldn't afford clothes like those on his own." the other leered, the two of them flanking the Bull like well-taught cronies. He had a pig nose and enormous shoulders. Didn't any of the football team defy the stupid, well-built idiot generalization?

"What are you, a stalker?" Shane taunted, "Think I'm pretty, do you?"

"Not as much as Cinderella does, the fag." the Bull shot back, sauntering forward a few more steps.

"Your hair needs washing, Cinderella. You've been slacking since we washed it for you." he smiled nastily. Tobias stepped up beside Shane, his face still grey but the look on it making the hairs on Shane's neck stand up.

"Ooh, scary face." the boar mocked, pretending to cower. The Bull advanced on Shane, backing him up between two sinks with a mirror at his back. He was so screwed.

"You ready to die, punk?" he asked softly. Shane snorted in response.

"You're gonna kill me in an amusement park bathroom? How lame."

The teen saw the left hook coming and ducked. The hand caught the crown of his head, snapping his neck back, but the majority of his force slammed into the mirror and it shattered into a thousand pieces, blanketing Shane like solid rain.

The Bull was grunting in pain, sizing Shane up for the next hit, when a loud shriek of pain stopped him.

The Boar was staggering back, a set of deep, gleaming scratch marks adorning his face. Tobias stood in front of him, lowering his hand slowly. His eyes were steely.

"The bitch scratched me." he growled as a trickle of blood slid down his face. Tobias's look that he'd gladly do it again silenced any more comments.

Shane took the opportunity to slip past the Bull and join Tobias, holding his fists up and trying to look intimidating. The three boys didn't look like they were having fun anymore.

"Did you remember your cup this time, Jock Boy? Want me to check for you?" Shane taunted, mentally laughing at the teen's scowl; he looked like a wounded cow.

The Boar wasn't so inclined; he took a step back and gave his friends a nervous glance.

"Better leave town again, Cinderella, before I make you." he said with a growl before backing out of the bathroom.

The other two didn't budge for a minute, but the tension was erased when a middle-aged man in a collared shirt walked in, talking hurriedly on his cell phone. He stopped for a moment and surveyed the boys, the suspicion clear in his eyes, but the two bullies took the chance to disappear before anyone could stop them. The middle-aged man gave Shane and Tobias a stern glare, then went back to talking on his cell.

Tobias sighed and slumped against the wall, still worryingly pale. They stayed, silent as the man washed his hands and left.

"You got 'em good, Tobias. You know those bozos?" he asked, his breath finally under control somewhat.

Tobias hesitated, then nodded. "I… when I was still in school, I got picked on. A lot." he muttered as if he wanted to avoid the subject. Shane looked at Tobias and raised an eyebrow. If that was true, then Tobias had grown up a lot since then. Boys who fought back didn't get picked on. Unless they were annoying like Shane.

Then again, the hawk boy had the sort of personality that practically invited bullies: quiet and withdrawn, deep thinking, not part of the crowd by ill fortune or chance.

Shane was on the other side of the spectrum, with the same results. Outgoing, talkative, and good-natured, he was the type of person that bullies hated, especially since he was a horrid flirt. He guessed that put him and Tobias in the same boat, somewhat.

" I don't think they're gonna bother you anymore." he remarked casually as he ran a hand through his hair.

"How does Drew know you?" ah, so the Bull had a name.

"I was nice to his girlfriend, and I'm so stunningly handsome he's afraid she'll leave him for me." he joked as he and Tobias hesitantly exited the bathroom.

Tobias was silent for a while as they walked, then said softly,

"I don't know which is worse - dying on a roller coaster or dying in a bathroom."

---

A/N: Now, wasn't that worth the wait? (Not.)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am astounded so many people like this fic. Because I love you all for being so nice (and I've been bored outta my mind), I decided to post the next chapter. Enjooooy :D

--

Tobias and Shane walked around a little more, deciding to forgo the rides (Shane really didn't want Tobias to freak out again, even with the chance of meeting those girls again). Instead, they stopped by a food stand and bought drinks and a funnel cake.

"It's been a while since I've had anything sweet." Tobias commented, trying to keep the sugar off the edges of his mouth and failing. He wiped it with his hand, which just smeared it more, then tore another piece of fried dough off the mass on the plate Shane was holding.

"Yeah, no kidding." Shane replied, eyeing Tobias's almost unhealthily skinny figure. He could see that Tobias was attractive, though; any girl in their right mind would jump a man who could lick powdered sugar off his fingers like that. Hell, if Shane were a girl, he probably would too.

"Well, eat up. You look like you haven't eaten since the 1960's, dude. You're bad for my image." Tobias rolled his eyes and took a drink of his soda.

"And what image is that?" he asked sarcastically, ducking when Shane flung a powdery piece of funnel cake at his head. Shane looked at the teen in indignation, crossing his arms.

"You're so paying for that when we get home. I'm gonna beat your skinny ass up."

Tobias was about to reply when something behind Shane stopped him. He looked confused for a minute, then his eyes widened.

"Tobias? Is that you?" Shane turned and caught sight of a dark-skinned woman starting towards him, a frown on her face as she glanced at Shane. Tobias stood up a little straighter and forced a smile.

"Hello, ma'am. How are you?" he asked pleasantly. Shane shoved his hands into his pockets and tried his best not to look like a bad influence or a delinquent. He knew she thought he was bullying Tobias, and that was definitely the last thought he wanted people to have.

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hello. Who is your friend?"

Tobias glanced at Shane and cracked another fake smile.

"This is Shane, ma'am. He's a friend of mine from school. Shane, this is Cassie's mom. She's the head vet for the Gardens." Shane shook her hand firmly and flashed his most charming smile at her, though it only served to deepen her suspicion.

"Sorry, ma'am. Didn't mean to worry you. Tobias is staying at my house this weekend." he explained.

She wasn't convinced, and Tobias's horribly false smile wasn't helping; he was having trouble with human facial expressions still, and it looked like he was trying to hide something and failing. If Cassie's mother was anywhere near as perceptive as she was, there was no doubt in her mind something was going on.

She gave Shane a long look, almost a warning, before speaking again.

"Well, alright. You boys stay out of trouble. Oh, and Cassie was looking for you earlier, Tobias. Something about her science notes? You should call her when you get the chance." she gave them one last look and disappeared.

As soon as she was lost from sight, Tobias grabbed Shane's arm and dragged him back the way they came with a single-minded ferocity. It was such a sudden change Shane stumbled and almost fell.

"Whoa- what's up, Toby?"

Tobias didn't even glance back at him, despite the stupid nickname.

"I forgot about my and Cassie's project that we were going to work on today."

Something's wrong. They're in trouble.

Shane almost reeled back instinctively from the intruding thought-voice, but disguised it as taking a drink from his soda, almost choking on it at the half-running pace they were traveling at.

"Oh, okay. Well, let's go then." he said casually, unlocking the doors to his truck in record time.

"I've got to..." Tobias looked back at him and swore. He got in the truck grudgingly, unable to keep from fidgeting as Shane rocketed down the road, trying to remember the way to Cassie's house. Even though they made it in half the time it probably should have took, Tobias was still obviously pissed he had to babysit Shane and shot out of the truck before Shane had stopped it completely. Shane followed at his heels.

The barn was completely empty. Tobias cursed under his breath like a sailor.

Shane was the one who found the note, lying on top of a bale of hay where Marco had sat before.

Tobias - went to see Ax. See you there. It was almost unreadable, it was written so fast, and there was no signature. It didn't need to be, though; Tobias and Shane knew exactly where to go.

"Great. Another one." Tobias said, scowling, an uncharacteristic display of anger for the hawk boy. He whirled and gave Shane a look that could curdle milk.

"Stay here. If you leave…I'll know."

Morphed.

Gone.

Once Tobias was out of earshot, Shane raged, long and loud. In the end, he still wasn't trusted. They completely believed he had a slug in his head. No matter how hard he tried, how careful his words were, he wasn't accepted.

Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT.

Well, Shane certainly wasn't going to sit around like a good little boy.

Besides, it had been a while since he'd been hunting.

---

It took Tobias a total of thirty seconds to reach the battleground. Ax, Cassie, Marco, and Jake stood in a semicircle, battle morphs at the ready.

They were crowded around a middle-aged, graying man, a Dracon beam clasped tightly in one hand and pointed straight at Jake. His face was panicked. Tobias could see the stalemate; if the man shot, he would be killed by one of them, but Jake was willing to risk a life with the Controller at point-blank range. Their best bet was Tobias, who hadn't yet been seen by the Controller.

If Tobias were to fly silently, he'd have to fly above the safety of the forest. There was no way he could dodge trees and keep himself quiet, and if he made noise, the Controller would definitely hear it, and he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. So, he had to hope he could fly over without getting caught.

As quietly as he could, Tobias flapped into the sky and glided to the other side of the group, behind the man's head.

If the Controller had seen him, he gave no clue away: his eyes were still fixed on Jake, though Tobia could see the sweat glands on him pumping furiously. A slight flick of the tail; tuck the wings in tight. Eyes focused on the Dracon beam, on the elongated barrel that his talons could fit around so easily. Perfect silence; perfect focus. No way he could miss.

50 yards - 25 - now 50 feet, 40, 20, flare the wings at 10, claws reaching hungrily -

Caught! But the man wasn't letting go! Tobias was too close, and the man wouldn't let go of the gun!

He let out a long frustrated screech, flapping his wings to keep himself upright. The Controller winced and dropped the Dracon Beam, which went spinning to the ground.

Tobias couldn't turn to make another strike, but the tiger and the wolf were already leaping forward, the gorilla and the Andalite a step behind but no less deadly. He reached the gun - a potshot - now he was aimed straight at Cassie -

They all heard the shot, but no one stopped until the man was pinned against the ground, gun out of reach.

The Controller's eyes were wide, shocked. The grass behind his head was muddy brown, a little sticky.

He was dead. Killed by a bullet to the head. The wolf stood, her eyes fierce.

Cassie? Are you okay?

Yeah. I think. I'm not bleeding. She sounded confused; relieved, nervous.

Shane stepped out from behind a tree, small pistol still aimed at the Controller.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked calmly, not looking away until he could confirm the Controller's eyes wouldn't open again.

Tobias looked at him in shock.

---

Shane ignored their stares and knelt down to check the man's pulse. There was none. He sighed in relief, set the gun on the ground, stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. There was an awkward silence as Jake, Marco, and Cassie remorphed to human.

Tobias fixed an angry eye on Shane.

I told you to stay in the barn.

Shane scowled at him, anger seeping from his pores, though he kept his hands in his pockets to keep himself from looking threatening.

"No. You COMMANDED me to stay. Then you threatened me." he shot back icily. Tobias held his gaze for a moment, then looked away.

Cassie was looking at the man sadly, glancing at Shane every so often with the same look in her eye. Every one there knew it would eventually come to this - the Controller would have been killed, no matter whether he took Cassie down with him or not. They couldn't let them walk away.

Jake didn't glance at the dead man; his gaze stayed focused on Shane, no facial expression betraying him.

"You disobeyed a direct order." he said, his voice tired. Shane shook his head.

"I don't like being ordered around with no good reason to follow orders, Jake. I kept myself hidden, I didn't endanger you, and had any of you left for the barn and needed me for any reason, I would have known." he said, trying to keep the his out of his voice and failing.

Jake didn't move his gaze, but it wasn't challenging. Finally, it softened a bit, which let Shane know Jake understood. He couldn't argue with the truth. In response, Shane kicked the gun, which skittered to the brunet's feet and laid there innocently.

"I keep that in my glove box. I have a shotgun behind my seat, though it's not loaded. I have a pocket knife on my keys. You want it?

"I trust you guys. I mean, you're a bunch of freshman with animal morphing powers that could make you rich or famous, and you're saving the world instead of breaking into banks."

The Animorphs exchanged a knowing glance. Did one of the Animorphs really…? No, he had to be interpreting that wrong.

"The truth of the matter is, you're stuck with me. I'm sorry if you don't like me or want me, but unless you plan on letting me go my merry way, deal with it. Don't treat me like a little kid you can boss around when it suits you."

Shane looked to Tobias for the last sentence. Tobias looked straight at him, but his face was emotionless instead of challenging, and Shane knew he was sorry.

He looked at the body beside him, and was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. There was a dead man laying on the ground.

Someone was dead because of him. By him.

He knew that the kids in front of him were probably used to it, and they were two years younger at least. But when the adrenaline wore off… A sudden wave of bile hit him, and he choked it back long enough to run to the bushes out of the clearing.

They buried him in silence. All the bright elements of the day - the cheery sunlight filtering through the trees, the crisp greenness of the leaves, the excited chatter and sing-song of the birds - were suddenly somber and melancholy.

--

A/N: This'll probably be it for a while though - bit stuck on the next part and trying to force myself to write it.

A/N II: (Just an afterthought) Does anyone feel my paragraphs are too short, or is it just because FF's screen is so wide?


End file.
